Jodine's weight loss story

Then & Now

“I feel I’ve become the person I always wanted to be – the person I was on the inside.”

Hiding in the background

When you meet Jodine Davis, it’s hard to believe this strong, self-assured and bubbly young woman, whose smile could light up a room, spent most of her life trying to blend into the background.

“I would always hide myself away,” the Sydney marketing executive says. “I even had a problem with my posture because I was always bending down, hunching over, trying not to be noticed.”

She was overweight by age seven. “In primary and high school I was the biggest girl in my class.” She was tall and seemed to be growing much faster than other kids her age. “It made me feel awkward and self-conscious. Gradually I stopped doing a lot of social activities. When I went camping, for example, I couldn’t go horse riding with my friends because I was over the weight limit.

"I couldn’t go horse riding with my friends because I was over the weight limit."

Not mentally ready

“Once I was invited to Hong Kong for a work event but it involved doing a team-building climbing exercise. I knew nobody would be able to hold my weight and I was so stressed about it. I just kept thinking, ‘How am I going to get out of this?’”

Jodine enthusiastically tried every new diet she heard about – and also joined Weight Watchers – but she would only ever stick it out for a few weeks. “I wasn’t mentally ready to make changes and the weight kept piling on.”

30th birthday 'ah-ha' moment

“I had organised a girls’ weekend away for my 30th but still spent my birthday feeling miserable. My friends were planning a cruise later in the year. I really wanted to go with them but the idea of being the only overweight person on this cruise made me cringe. I had just had enough. I decided I wasn’t going to live like this anymore and I re-joined Weight Watchers that weekend. But this time, I knew I was ready to stick to it.

"Nobody – not my sisters or anyone – knows I’ve lost 43kg in just over a year!"

Losing 43kg sounded impossible

“At first I was overwhelmed by how much weight I had to lose – 43kg just sounded impossible to me. I had to break it down into a number I thought was achievable, so I set myself regular 5kg goals.”

In those first weeks, everything changed. Jodine went from eating takeaway most days to cooking all her own meals. She replaced soft drinks with water and started walking every day. Soon the number on her bathroom scales began to drop.

“Friends knew I was doing WW and could see I was losing weight but nobody knew how much I weighed when I started. Even my mum doesn’t know how much weight I’ve lost! I didn’t want to tell people and I played down how much I had to lose. Nobody – not my sisters or anyone – knows I’ve lost 43kg in just over a year!”

Starting small with exercise

Jodine started off walking just 20 minutes around the block but after a few weeks she decided to step things up a notch and joined a gym.

“I would download my favourite TV series onto my iPad but never let myself watch the next episode until after I’d been on the treadmill! Law & Order was my reward for going to the gym and it kept me motivated.”

The next breakthrough was finding a personal trainer. “I had always had anxiety issues and whenever I felt anxious, I would turn to food,” says Jodine. “I started seeing a personal trainer three days a week and it was phenomenal. She gave me the support and tools I needed to manage my anxiety levels.”

The cruise of a lifetime

A year later, Jodine joined her friends for that cruise holiday of a lifetime. “I wore swimmers, I wore shorts. I was able to show my arms! It’s silly but I had this thing about not showing my arms – even at high school I would wear long sleeves all summer. But I got a spray tan and wore little strappy dresses. It felt amazing!”

The cruise was just the beginning – after years of missing out on all the fun stuff, Jodine is grabbing her new life with both hands. “Last year I did my first-ever Tough Mudder, which is an 18km fun run and obstacle course. I went sky diving, which is definitely something I never ever thought I’d do. Free-falling was the most exhilarating feeling - I can’t wait to do it again. I’m also planning an adventure holiday in New Zealand this year so I can try bungee jumping!”

Not only that, but for the first time in a very long time Jodine is dating again. “I’m more open to meeting new people now – you never know what might happen,” she laughs. “I feel I’ve become the person I always wanted to be – the person I was on the inside.”

What WW has taught me

Small goals are more achievable and less overwhelming.

Go to meetings – they’re the best motivation and support.

Drink lots of water – it’s surprising how food cravings are more often dehydration.

Give yourself little rewards along the way.

If you hit a fitness slump, consider getting a personal trainer.

If you hit a weight-loss plateau, shake up your food routine and choose different low- SmartPoints snacks.

^Six-month pre-post study on 152 participants, conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weight Research Lab. Study funded by Weight Watchers. Sleep data and happiness data reported by trial participants after 6 months on WW Freestyle based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.